Raphinha returns to start Barcelona’s PSG Champions League test
Barcelona face a demanding Champions League test against Paris Saint-Germain in Paris, with Raphinha back in contention after his recent thigh injury. The Brazilian played 20 minutes against Real Betis, and Hansi Flick confirmed he will start against a side unbeaten in 12 Champions League matches.
Raphinha has scored 14 times this season, with 12 goals in LaLiga and two in Europe. His return restores a leading source of goals to Barcelona’s attack, and his scoring form gives the Blaugranes a clear focal point for the trip to the Parc des Princes.
Marca reports that Raphinha has recovered from the injury to the back of his right thigh, which he sustained on September 29. It forced him to leave Brazil’s international camp early and kept him out of Barcelona’s Champions League match against Galatasaray and their LaLiga fixture against Getafe.
His brief appearance against Betis preceded Flick’s confirmation that he would start in Paris. Barcelona will also be without Jules Kounde and Eric Garcia, according to Marca, leaving Raphinha’s return as a significant boost as the team prepares for the European champions.
The winger has scored in both of his previous appearances against PSG for Barcelona, registering three goals in total. He scored twice in the first leg of the 2023-24 Champions League quarter-final and found the net again in the return leg.
Those two matches produced contrasting results for the Catalans: Barcelona won the first leg and lost the second. Raphinha’s record against the Paris side therefore adds a personal thread to his return, as well as a concrete scoring record to the selection decision. His recent goalscoring and assisting form has also made his availability especially important.
PSG’s unbeaten European run stands at eight wins and four draws across 12 matches. Their last defeat in the competition came against Sporting CP, who beat them 2-1 in January 2026.
For Barcelona, the challenge is to take their forward’s sharpness into a fixture against opponents who have avoided defeat in Europe for nearly a year. Raphinha’s previous goals against PSG came across a two-legged tie the sides split, and Flick will now turn to him from the start in Paris.
